National Council on Teacher Quality: Arkansas One of Only Two States Offering Teachers 12 Weeks of Maternal Leave

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring every student has access to committed and high-quality educators, recently released its State of the States report, assessing states' investments in teachers through paid parental leave. The report found that Arkansas is one of only two states offering teachers 12 weeks of paid maternity leave.

"Our teachers shouldn't have to choose between their families and their classrooms, and in Arkansas, we're making sure they don't have to," said Governor Sanders. "I signed Arkansas LEARNS and started investing in our state's educators because a great education starts with great teachers. Thanks to these incentives, Arkansas is recruiting and retaining the best, ensuring our students are given every opportunity to thrive and establishing Arkansas as a national education leader."

"Arkansas students are excelling because we are placing them in high-quality learning environments," said Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva. "It takes action to recruit and retain the very best educators. Necessary incentives like increasing the starting salary and providing 12 weeks of paid maternity leave are attracting educators, actively improving educational outcomes, and putting Arkansas at the top."

In 2023, Governor Sanders signed the Arkansas LEARNS Act, which, among many policy changes and teacher incentives, provided up to 12 weeks of paid maternity leave for teachers, launched the Merit Teacher Incentive Fund Program, raised starting teacher pay from $36,000 a year to $50,000 a year, and gave every teacher at least a $2,000 raise.

Additionally, as part of her ongoing commitment to support moms in Arkansas, Governor Sanders signed the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act in 2025, directing $45 million to promote maternal health. Among many other things, the legislation established Presumptive Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women, offered reimbursement pathways for doulas and community health workers, and established pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage for remote ultrasounds, remote blood pressure monitoring, and continuous glucose monitoring.

The full NCTQ report can be found here.

A video from the Walton Family Foundation discussing Arkansas' policy can be found here.

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